BUCS SOFTBALL GOES 3-3 AT LONGVIEW TOURNEY
No. 11 Buccaneers use big sixth inning to pull away from Navarro, 9-2
Blinn breaks even on the day after losing to Tyler in second game 6-5
LONGVIEW, Texas – Blinn College softball used a big inning to pull away from Navarro College to win 9-2 but came up just short in the second game, falling 6-5 to Tyler Junior College to close the Region XIV Round Robin tournament in Longview.
The Buccaneers went 1-1 on the day and 3-3 in the tournament to move their overall record to 15-12.
Blinn 9 – Navarro 2
Blinn already had a 3-1 lead heading into the sixth inning over Navarro but the Buccaneers poured it on with six runs in the sixth to pull away with a 9-2 victory.
Nicole Garcia and Meghann Wrinkle each knocked in three runs to supply a majority of the offensive output. Katy Sawyer and Kalli Edwards each had an RBI as well in the victory. Faith Genoway went the distance in the circle with seven innings pitched while allowing only one earned run on five hits and one strikeout.
Blinn was able to strike first in the third inning when Edwards started it with a single and later came in to score on a sacrifice hit by Wrinkle for the first run. Garcia, who reached on an error, later scored on an error in the inning for a 2-0 advantage. Navarro cut the lead in half in the bottom of the third with a single run.
The Buccaneers got that run right back in the third when Cheyenne Trader started the inning with a single and was pinch run for by Alyssa Hitt. With two outs, Garcia singled in Hitt with a hit to center to boost the lead to 3-1.
Blinn looked to bolster its lead in the sixth when Sawyer started it off with a single. Edwards drove in Sawyer with a double to center for the fourth run. Garcia brought in two runs with a double of her own on the next at-bat and Wrinkle cleared the bases with a home run to left for an 8-1 lead. Sawyer, who started the inning with a single, also knocked in a run in her second at-bat of the inning with a hit to center for a 9-1 lead. Navarro added a single run in the sixth but Blinn was able to hold on for the seven-run victory.
Tyler 6 – Blinn 5
Blinn nearly had enough resolve to come back from a 5-0 deficit after three innings but Tyler was able to hold on for the 6-5 victory to close the tournament.
Katie Andrie and Jordin Wilkins each knocked in two runs in the loss as Andrie hit a home run and Wilkins doubled twice. Trader also knocked in a run. Bobbi Berkey got the start for the Buccaneers and only gave up two earned runs in the loss and Sam Junkin pitched the final three scoreless innings.
Tyler jumped out to a big 5-0 lead in the third inning but Blinn would get one back in the fourth. Wilkins started the inning with a double and then later touched the plate on a Tyler error to get within 5-1. Tyler added a single run in the fifth for a 6-1 lead.
Blinn did not give up as Edwards singled to start the bottom of the fifth and Andrie drilled a home run to get within 6-3. The Buccaneers nearly came back all the way in the seventh when Sawyer and Andrie singled to get on and Wrinkle ripped a double to right to get within one at 6-5. Tyler was able to get the final out on a strikeout to come away with the slim victory.
Blinn will start conference play on Saturday, March 5 with a double-header on the road against Coastal Bend College that begins at 1 p.m.
For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
(Story courtesy, Jake Gordon, Blinn Information)